The Roads They Chose
by Hollownerox
Summary: It was nothing more than a whim really, and yet a single moment of indulgence from the Sanbi begins a shift in the world of ninja that none could have expected. A world where Rin survives, Kakashi takes less time wallowing in the past, and Obito leads Akatsuki to make the world tremble in their wake. They have chosen their paths, but what will happen when they inevitably intersect?
1. Diverging Paths

**Rin: A Whim of Fate**

**~3~3~3~3~**

I'm dying. At least I think I am, it's hard to tell when my body's gone so numb. I can barely feel anything, not from the rain pouring down on me, not from the ground as I harshly tumble down onto it, and thankfully not from the hole Kakashi's Chidori made in my chest. Oh god Kakashi, is he okay? I hope reinforcements get there on time, there is no way he could stand a chance against all those Kiri-nin.

Is this how Obito felt? Trapped in his own mind as he hoped against hope that we could make it out of there without him? If so I can only pray that his death was as painless as mine.

Even with his sacrifice, I still ended up useless in the end, at the very least my death will help prevent more deaths down the line.

_Obito, I guess I'm going to meet you again, sooner than I wanted to but-_

_**Do You Want to Live?**_

…_What the hell?_

Another voice, there's another voice in my head. Oh kami, there's another voice in my head. Am I hallucinating?

_**A Hallucination? Use Whatever Scrap of Intellect You Possess Fleshling, Surely You Can Do Better Than That.**_

Okay so apparently hallucinations are out of the question now. Deep guttural voice, definitely not human, appears as I'm about to die, with what feels like demonic chakra. Excluding a Shinigami…

_**As If I Would Stoop So Low As To Become The Reaper Of Fleshlings.**_

Then that could only leave one other option.

_The Sanbi I assume?_

_**Congratulations Fleshling, You Managed To Put Your Brain Cells to Proper Use.**_

_You know, I didn't think the tailed beasts were capable of speech._

_**Leave It To You Humans To Have The Arrogance To Presume That Beings So Much Greater Than Yourselves Are Incapable Of Something As Simple As The Formation Of Words.**_

_To be fair when we are taught about your kind our teachers emphasized the "beast" part of your existence._

_**I Would Say That Is Unexpected, However That Would Be Lying. The Ignorance of Your Species Aside, Are You Going To Answer My Query Or Not Tiny One?**_

_Forgive me if your presence alone was distracting me too much from paying attention to that question._

_**I Asked Whether Or Not You Wished To Live.**_

_Well of course I do, I don't want to, well, I __**won't **__leave Kakashi alone. But why do you care? Don't the Biju reform on their own when their hosts die? You are made of pure, if extremely demonic, chakra after all._

_**Oh Believe Me Fleshling, I Would Be More Than Delighted To Not Be Trapped In A Horrid Bag of Meat Like You. However The Process Of Reforming Myself After Having My Entire Being Dispersed Should You Die Is Not The Most Pleasant Experience. Nor Is It One I Am Eager To Have Mind You. **_

_I guess I can see how that might be more trouble than it'll be worth. But this does seem a bit too good to be true, what's the catch?_

_**Child, Surely You Know The Life Of A Jinchuuriki Is A Harsh One. If This The Road You Wish To Walk Upon I Cannot Stop You. But I Warn You It Is An Unkind One, Many Of Your Predecessors Have Gone Mad From It.**_

_That doesn't matter, all that matters is that I come back home, back to Kakashi, back to Sensei, to my family… __Back to Obito._

_**Is This Courage Or Is This Mere Human Stupidity? Perhaps Time Will Tell Me. Regardless It Seems You Are Not As Dull Of A Host As I First Assumed.**_

_So how are we going to do this? It's not like I can just waltz around with a hand sized hole in my heart._

_**Girl Of The Leaves, Just Who Do You Presume You Are Speaking To? I Am Isobu, I Am The Three-Tailed Great Turtle, I Am The Grand Beast That The Oceans Bow Beneath and the Tides Cower From. Healing The Meager Flesh of My Vessel Is Child's Play.**_

... _Well at least we aren't going to be suffering from a lack of confidence here. So what am I supposed to do?_

_**Nothing. Well, Nothing Except Prepare Yourself.**_

_Prepare myself? Why should I-_

_**Because This Will Hurt. A Lot.**_

And with those unsympathetic words, my painless death suddenly shifted to burning, excruciating life.

* * *

**Obito: A Destiny Unbroken**

**~4~4~4~4~**

_Rin._

I charge at them, the ground cracks beneath my feet, strength I never would have imagined having months before flowing in my legs. I ignore it.

_Rin._

"Do not mock the Bloody Mist!"

The first Kiri-nin draws his sword, the rain blasts against me as the wind howls in my ears. I reach out my hand, palm touching the ninja before he could blink underneath his mask. Tendrils of wood bursts out of him, impaling the two who stood next to him. The blood splatters across my covered face. I ignore it.

_Rin._

I snap the wood off my hand and continue my charge, two of the ninja's corpses fall lifelessly. I pushed forward, the third one stumbles onto the ground, and a branch grows from the inside of my sleeve. I break it off as I stand over him, pointing it down towards the shocked ninja.

"Die!"

I hear the cry from above me, I can sense the three ninja soaring downwards, blades drawn. I ignore them.

_Rin._

My eye rumbles, a feeling I can't describe courses through it. The Kiri-nin's blades stab into me, but there is no pain, there is no feeling. All there is, is the cry of agony from the ninja I was going to stab, their swords passing through me and into him. I ignore them.

_Rin._

"I can't hit him!" I hear one of them say. I dismiss it, I leap into the air, spinning and kicking them as I do so. I can feel the bones break apart as my feet crashes into their bodies. Their necks snap, and the ground crumbles at the impact of their corpses. Once again, I ignore them.

_Rin._

They talk amongst themselves, the words jumble together as they reach my ears.

"At least grab the **girl**!"

"Don't hand **her **corpse over to the enemy!"

The sentence catches my attention, the way they refer to **_her_ **as if they were talking about an object rather than a person rekindles my rage, and once again I find myself running forwards before I know it. They swing their swords at me, each blow aimed at a vital point of my body. But once again I feel nothing, and the weapons merely pass through me as I run pass them.

"There's no mistake!" I hear one yell out to his comrades. "This guy passes right through you!"

I ignore him.

_RIN._

Two of them run to _**her**_ body, the first is merely a few feet away. I launch the spike of wood in my hand at him, it twirls through the air, plowing into him. My hands move automatically, making a hand seal and channeling chakra by no conscious effort on my part. The spike I threw at him bursts, four tendrils spewing out of his torso, blood spilling from his corpse. I ignore him.

_**RIN.**_

The second one barely has a chance to turn his head before my fist collides with his head. A roar rings through the air the force of his body crashing into the ground makes a crater.

_Is that really me?_

I drive my knee up, breaking his ribs as he is tossed into the air. It takes a second for me to realize that my hand reached up to clutch him by his hair.

_Am I really the one doing this?_

I swing my knee forward, driving it into his face, shattering the mask he wore. Shards of teeth and speckles of saliva fly into the air as his gasping mouth and broken nose weep blood.

Another roar, this time I feel it leaving my own throat as I drop him, once again a body breaks into the earth.

This one I don't ignore.

**RIN. RIN. RIN. RIN.**

My fists move on their own. Swinging, pounding, crushing, I feel his body giving way, blood spills like a river as my empowered limbs gouge out what is left of him. By the time I finish, a few seconds at most, what laid underneath me could not be recognized as human anymore. I could feel the eyes of the Kiri-nin upon me, too struck with fear to try and attack me.

"What is he?"

The question makes me stir from my position over the bloody pulp I made. I turn my head towards them. They step back. I stand up, my body swaying as I straighten. They recoil again.

I don't ignore them.

A torrent of wood bursts from my right side, I feel the tendrils coursing, piecing, impaling, defiling every single last one of them. Torsos, legs, arms, skulls, wrists, spines, lungs, feet, spleens. The wooden instruments that feel like an extension of myself tear into them, bisecting them, dissecting them, killing them with brutality I never knew lingered inside me.

Their screams are a horrid cacophony that is sickeningly pleasant to my ears. The red rain falling on me disturbs me just as much as I am comforted by its presence. The tendrils come together, twirling in a twisted yet somehow beautiful spiral around me, the moon reflecting red in my eye as the blood seeps into the hole of my mask.

"I get it…"

The words leave my mouth, I feel numb as they pass through my lips. All I can do is stare down at _**her**_.

"I'm…"

I feel a wetness slide down my face. It takes a moment to realize what it is; tears.

"I'm…"

I could feel Guruguru unfolding himself from my head, the bloody raindrops drenching my hair. The stench of my harvest filling my being, and I can't even bring myself to feel revolted by it.

"I'm in Hell."

I drop the body of the Kiri-nin I didn't realize I held, and break myself off of the twisted tree I created. And I slowly walk, making ripples in the pool of blood as I do so, towards _**her** _body.

The words Madara spoke to me echo within my mind. They seemed like utter nonsense when I first heard them. But now- Now I couldn't help but feel like they rang true.

I pause, briefly looking down at the small figure laying below me.

_Kakashi…_

I ignore him. And continue to walk to _**her**_, I notice my feet phasing through him as I walk, but I ignore that as well.

Zetsu's annoying voice comes forth, echoing in my mind. A world of dreams? Ridiculous. But with this… With this can it not be said that reality is just as ridiculous?

I stop, my body crouching as I look upon her corpse.

_Rin. _

I reach down to touch her. I draw back as my fingers go through her neck. The emptiness fills me as I am once again reminded that her warmth was forever gone, that her hands would never wrap around mines ever again.

I try again, this time concentrating on the power I now know came from the depths of the eye within my right socket. This time my hand doesn't go pass her, and all it does is confirm what I dreaded. No warmth. No pulse. No life.

I move to grab her, to hold her in my arms like I always wanted to, my limbs began to wrap around her and I-

"**Hell? You believe that this is hell boy. How amusing." **

I stumble backwards as a voice that is definitely not Rin's spills from her lips. I feel Guruguru suddenly wrapping back around my head protectively, his connection to my body making me feel the sudden anxiety coursing through him. My nerves flare as the harsh, burning chakra flowed through me, as if just the words from whatever inhabited **her **body now poisoned the world just by being spoken.

She... **it**, stands up, moving around shakily as if it was not used to moving in such a small body. Rin's right eye was closed, as **it **stared at me, the left eye burning a bright red, moving back in forth wildly as if unused to the small field of view, until it stopped suddenly. The eye slowly moving to focus on me, staring with such indifference that it was almost as if it was staring right through me.

The gaping hole in Rin's body stopped bleeding, the same monstrous red glowing along the circumference of the wound.

"What, no, who are you?" I asked, not quite sure why I changed the question mid-sentence.

The thing widened Rin's left eye, as though it was somehow surprised by the simple question.

"**Who am I? How interesting, normally when I make my chakra known the first thing you fleshlings do is treat me as a monstrosity. No one has ever asked my name before…"**

The thing smiles mockingly with Rin's mouth. My eye narrows at the condescending body gesture, one so alien to **her** appearance that my body shook from irritation.

"**Well I suppose I can indulge you boy. I am Isobu, though you may know me better as the third "Tailed Beast" as you humans like to refer to us."**

"The Sanbi…" I mumble out the words as the thing treating her corpse like a puppet tilted **her** head around, surveying the background as if admiring my handiwork.

"**I must say even Shukaku would be impressed by this little slaughter you did. While I am not particularly fond of such a grotesque way of killing; I admit it is artful in a way. And watching it done was quite something, I suppose being able to see from such a lower viewpoint does have some appeal."**

"I don't care about that!" I yelled out, my arm swinging outward to emphasize my point. "What happened to Rin?!"

"**Rin?" **It raised **her **eyebrow, as though the name was completely foreign to it. Its open eye widened as it made an "aha!" gesture. **"Oh, you refer to my vessel. It is doing fine. Somewhat dead, but well nonetheless."**

"Your… vessel?" My mind was whirling, my head hurt as I looked at Rin and yet not Rin at the same time.

"**Yes **_**my**_** vessel. It is damaged but it is nothing I cannot fix." **The thing smirked again. **"So don't worry about your friend, I am **_**sure **_**she will be exactly how she was before. I guarantee ****it**_**." **_

The twisted, mocking laughter that followed echoed in my ears, and I clenched my fist as my mind was no longer able to see the thing before me as Rin any longer.

* * *

Madara lifted his head, an expectant gleam in his eye as I walked forward back into the cave I had just broken out of mere hours before hand.

"So have you seen the truth of this so called _reality_?" He asks, as Guruguru unfolds himself, saying the word reality as if it were a curse.

"Yes…" I whisper, and I look him in the eyes, my Sharingan blazing. "This world has nothing left for me."

He smiles.

"Well then, shall we begin…" The old man smiles twists into one of unmistakable malice. **"_Madara_?"**

And with those words, spoken from the decaying lips of the ancient Uchiha, Obito died his second death. And I, Uchiha Madara, was all that was left.

This was the only road left for me to choose, and I will follow it.

I will follow it until the end I wish for begins.

* * *

**Kakashi: A Hope Still Burning**

**~7~7~7~7~**

I'm alive. My chest aches, my eye, no, Obito's eye feels like it's about to pop in its socket, and my hand feels like it's been shoved in a furnace and left to bake. But there's no mistake, I am still alive. I open my eyes.

Blood. Lots and lots of blood.

A massacre, that's the only thing that can describe the scene before me. The corpses of the Kiri ninjas litter the earth, gaping wounds leaving their bodies as a river's worth of the foul liquid seep into the earth. I have no idea what kind of weapon could have left such grievous wounds on them. And I wasn't sure I even wanted to know.

I scan the area, Obito's eye still pounding in my skull forcing me to stare out with only my right eye open, searching for any clue on who might have saved me. Nothing.

_No sign of whoever killed all these men, whoever it was must have been as strong as Sensei. Whoever it was…_

I stare at one corpse, an entire half of his face is caved, his torso roughly torn diagonally, and his spinal column visibly sticking out of the gory mess.

_Whoever it was must have been a monster._

I shake my head. There's no time to speculate on whoever did this. I turn my head, a lone body, practically untouched by the ocean of blood, filled my view. I run towards it.

"Rin!"

The cry leaves my throat unconsciously, the amount of worry in it surprising even me. Was I really that pathetic before? Was I so devoid of empathy for my comrades that even the slightest bit of concern in my own voice seems foreign?

I stop my introspection as I get close to her, my arms move to lift her up, and I feel my eyes start to water at her unmoving form.

I almost began to sob, until I felt something, it was small, and you could barely tell it was there unless you had senses honed like mine. But without a doubt I felt it.

A pulse.

My eyes widen and I lift her up so I can fully examine her. The hole, the horrible wound that Rin forced me to tear into her body. The fatal blow from my Chidori, was gone. If it were not for the circle torn out of her shirt I would have thought I imagined stabbing her. The wound simply vanished as if it were never there in the first place.

She had a pulse. She was breathing. She was **alive**.

"Rin…" I mumble the name, it was miracle, a miracle I had no way of explaining and one I simply didn't care enough to even try to. All that mattered was that my friend, was still alive.

Her eyes open slightly, her mouth opens and closes, as if she were trying to regain control of her mouth. And in a barely coherent manner she whispers.

"Kakashi?"

I say nothing, I simply hug her, wrapping my arms around her as the tears silently trail down my face.

I kept my promise Obito, I have no idea how, but I managed to keep my promise. Rin is alive, and I will make sure to continue to make sure she stays that way. No more, not a single comrade is going to die on my watch, not after you.

This is the path you helped me choose Obito, and I know if you were here you would have chosen this road too.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So this is my first story in the Naruto universe, I am both extremely excited, and yet also somewhat fearful considering this has a much larger audience pool than the other two stories I have written. The "nail" that is metaphorically placed in this story is that Isobu decided to help Rin survive on what basically amounts to a whim. This is the main divergence point, and what will inevitably cause some chaos later on.

Now before you guys start stabbing me with my own pencil, I am well aware that having Rin survive would seemingly prevent Obito's Start of Darkness, and yet I still have him going down the road to becoming Tobi. There are two reasons for this, as Terry Pratchet said, **"_The universe doesn't much care if you step on a butterfly. There are plenty more butterflies."_** Rin's survival doesn't completely guarantee that Obito doesn't go to the dark side. Obito, like many other antagonists in the Naruto verse, was disillusioned with the system, despising the corrupt world he used to admire. While Rin's death was a catalyst, it was pretty much down to his hatred of the world that caused her death that led to him taking up Madara's ideals. Secondly, I think that the Mangekyō Sharingan played a big role in Obito's downfall, the eye evolution seems to inherently make the user loose a lot of logical thinking. Even Itachi, the sanest Uchiha so far, had some iffy logic after he gained the Mangekyō.

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I loved writing it, this is my first story written in the first-person (Dramatic irony for the win!), and it will be an interesting experience to say the least. Review if you feel like it, but don't let yourself feel obligated to make one, I appreciate a follow or a favoriite much more than a review. But if you find some mistakes or have an issue with the story in general, have a go at the review and let me know. Constructive criticism is the bitter-fruit a writer must swallow to become better, and I would love it if some of you are willing to force feed me.


	2. A Second Life

**Rin II: Catching Her Breath**

**~3~3~3~3~**

I blink. My vision is blurry. My head is pounding, and I feel like someone shoved a dozen senbon into my chest. I hear voices going back in forth, as I slowly regain consciousness.

"Are you sure she's okay?" A voice that sounds like Kakashi's rings in my ear, I can't help but feel a bit surprised at the concerned tone he spoke with.

"For the last time you white pineapple!" An older voice cries out, one I don't recall hearing before yet strangely familiar at the same time. "I used pretty much every damn seal in the book to keep the murder turtle under control. And we had a freakin' Uzumaki with a Tailed Beast in her to do the patch ups. The seal is as good as it can be."

"I meant from a medical standpoint!"

"Do I look like I have a pair of coconuts hanging off my chest?!" The older voice screamed. "If you wanted a medical exam you should have called Tsunade, not me! Ungrateful little brat…"

"What does coconuts have to do with anything?" Kakashi asked with an exasperated tone. If I wasn't in a ridiculous amount of pain at the moment, I might have started giggling at that.

"I guess you haven't done the birds and bees talk yet kid?" The older voice said, the amusement in his voice made me imagine a perverted smirk accompanying it for some reason. "Shall I bring out one of my novel drafts to educate the kids?"

"No!" Minato-sensei's voice rang out, making my heart almost jump out of my chest. "I mean, uh, that won't be necessary Jiraiya-sensei. I'll be sure to cover that, sooner or later."

"Are you sure-" The person Minato-sensei called Jiraiya began to say.

"Yes, I'm sure." Minato-sensei said with finality.

"Killjoy." Jiraiya said disappointingly. "Of course you would go out of your way to deny these kids the taste of good literature!"

"Good literature?" Minato-sensei said, I could already imagine the raised eyebrow that no doubt followed. "Glad to see your cognitive bias is still going strong sensei."

"And I'm glad to see your hair is still defying the laws of physics as always without the aid of hair jell. Now shut up and pay attention, your student is awake now in case you haven't noticed."

"I thought you said you weren't a medic?"

"And I thought I told you to stuff it."

"…But you didn't."

"I thought about it pretty hard though, and for a ninja that is the best way of doing things. You should try learning from the best kid."

"That doesn't even make any-"

"I'm pretty sure there's something more important than your verbal slap fight guys." Minato-sensei said wiry. "Isn't that right Rin?"

I smile at that, my eyes open, though with more effort on my part than I would have liked, to take in the view in front of me.

Sensei looked exhausted to put it mildly, his signature golden hair was dirty and unkempt. His vest was covered in all manners of cuts and holes, very few of which got far enough to actually damage skin, but the sheer amount was telling of how many battles he went through recently. Not to mention the fact that there were multiple signs of chakra exhaustion and sleep deprivation.

Kakashi fared little better, his clothing looked as if it were left soaking in blood, lacerations covered his form, and his overuse of his Chidori caused his right hand to become almost charcoal like. Then there was the fact that he was clutching his left eye as if it were going to pop out of its socket. The sight of it making my mind go blank for a moment, it was hard trying to keep myself from thinking it was **his **eye instead of Kakashi's now.

As for the third person in the room, he seemed perfectly fine health wise, if a bit "unique" considering his appearance. White spiky hair flowing down past his waist and tied with a ponytail, along with two shoulder length bangs on either side of his face. His previous comment about Sensei's choice of hair style seeming to be a case of the pot calling the kettle black. The man had red markings in the form of lines running down from his eyes, and a small wart on his noise. Clothing wise it appeared as though he wore a simple green kimono and pants to match it, with a red haori to cover it. But it was clear he was wearing some form of armor underneath. Most prominent of all was the hitai-ate he was wearing, an odd variant that had the characters for Oil instead of the normal leaf symbol that represented Konoha.

"You're...Jiraiya-sama?" I blurted out, saying the only thing I could think of to distract myself from the burning in my chest. "As in one of the Legendary Sannin?"

"Hmph" Jiraiya crossed his arm, head raised in triumph. "Nice to see at least one of Minato's students has enough sense to recognize my greatness!"

I could hear Kakashi snort at that, the eye roll accompanying it making a noticeable vein bulge on Jiraiya's forehead.

I just nod to the man's somewhat self indulgent words, mentally making note on just how different the man was from his humble student.

"So you really are Jiraiya-sama, I didn't expect you to be so..."

"Amazing? Magnificent? Sexy? Amazingly sexy in the most magnificent way?" Jiraiya smirked as he awaited my reply.

"Scruffy" I say as bluntly as I could, my head nodding with satisfaction as he toppled over.

"Well now that we got introductions out of the way... I think?" Minato-sensei began speaking again, as he tried and failed to hide his amusement judging by the subtle smirk. "Rin, do you remember what happened?"

"Yes, sensei, though not as much as I would like." I closed my eyes for a moment to help me recall the details of the mission, opening them as the hazy memories came back to me. "Kakashi and I were with a team patrolling the outskirts of the area, but we were ambushed."

I flinched as I remembered how the first member of our patrol died, one moment he was chatting about his wife, and the next he was sliced in half with a water jutsu. I looked straight into Minato-sensei's eyes.

"They knew we were coming, and they were specifically targeting Kakashi and I, they were killing every member of our group but avoiding combat with either of us."

Minato frowned at that, no doubt the gears in his head turning as he took in the fact that this was a planned mission rather than a matter of opportunity for the Kiri-nin.

"Do you know why they picked you?" Minato said as he held his chin with one hand, most likely a gesture to show that he was theorizing. "They singled out you instead of Kakashi as the host for the tailed-beast. Ignoring all the other irregularities in this event, it is flat out strange that they would choose you over the White Fang's son."

I tried to ignore the way Kakashi flinched at that, it was probably a story he would tell me when he was ready to.

"I have no idea, to be honest I'm not even sure if Kiri is even responsible for this anymore..."

"And how did you come to that conclusion?" Jiraiya said, surprisingly serious. "We've managed to confirm those were legit Kiri hunter-nin from the corpses left behind."

The 'what's left of them' in that statement was left unsaid.

"Well they were acting strangely, they never mentioned doing anything for the sake of Kiri like many other ninja do in that situation." I frowned as I tried to remember their behavior during my time as their temporary prisoner. "It was almost like they were just acting on their own, they seemed extremely focused on only a single task..."

"I can vouch for that." Kakashi spoke up. "The Kiri-nin were acting against standard behavior expected from ninja that work for the mist. Not to mention the fact that they were seemingly interfering with the success of their own mission."

"How so?" Minato asked.

"Well, we already deduced that they intentionally allowed me to rescue Rin so that she could be used as a human bomb to unleash the Sanbi on Konoha." My stomach lurched as he said that, knowing it was one thing, but hearing someone say out-loud the fact that I was used as a weapon against my own home made my insides turn. "However despite pursuing us to apparently speed up our arrival to Konoha, they also made sure to attack us in ways that would delay us a great deal."

"That does sound contradictory, it is almost like that the tailed-beast part was the means rather than the end. But the means for what?" Minato said, as his face grimaced in frustration. "There are too many unknowns in this situation, but from what we know so far..."

"The kiri-nin were most likely also victims in this." Jiraiya said grimly, the statement making my eyes widen.

"How?" Kakashi said incredulously, apparently the sentence threw him off guard as well.

"Think about it brat, whose to say that the girl here was the only one hooked up with a puppet-master seal?" Jiraiya said, my throat drying as I thought of the implications. "Those kinds of seals disappear after the victim dies so we can't fully confirm it, but I'd bet my right ass cheek that all those Kiri-nin were just as helpless as the girl was."

"Puppet-master seals are surprisingly simple, horrid without a doubt, but still a rather basic seal, making a girl like Rin act as an unwilling bomb is easy." Minato explained. "However forcing so many elite Kiri-nin to do a multitude of tasks like that is simply unheard of. Whoever it is that planned this is no amateur."

"Not to mention the fact that in the end those elite ninja served as nothing but bait as well. What kind of guy would toss away an entire unit of jonin level ninja like that?" Kakashi said, a confused expression gracing his features.

"If that's the case then who were we bait for?" I asked them, almost afraid of the answer.

"Whoever it was kid, was strong enough to wipe out an entire unit of ninja by themselves. And..." Jiraiya trailed off.

"And we're still not sure why they left you two alive, especially when they literally had a tailed-beast at the palm of their hands." Minato finished, the tortured expression he wore digging into my mind.

The silence that followed was almost unbearable, to the point I was actually grateful when Jiraiya coughed and began to speak.

"Well since we aren't getting anywhere with that subject anytime soon, let's talk about the Sanbi then."

Well this is going to go well I thought bitterly, as the seal on my chest burned at the mention of the turtle.

"Let's just get this over with." I say, the sigh coming from my mouth a bit more irritated than I meant it to be.

* * *

**Obito II: The Red Dawn Rises**

**~4~4~4~4~**

What am I doing here?

I can't help but ask myself that question as the rain pours down on me, the black cloak I am wearing doing little to keep the onslaught of water from chilling me. Not that it matters anymore, the body of Uchiha Obito, no, of Uchiha Madara is not bothered by such things anymore.

Kakashi is alive, Minato-sensei is alive, **Rin **is alive, and yet here I am standing in the rain waiting for a day that may never come. I should just go back, go home and see the clan, to see Ri-

_**That wasn't Rin.**_

But it was her, it was her body, her scent, her touch I felt...

_**It was an impostor.**_

An impostor? That doesn't make any-

_**The Beast, it spoke with HER lips, it mocked you with HER face. **__**It**__** was not Rin, it was the Sanbi, taunting you by using her corpse.**_

But wasn't she just a container? Kushina-san is the host of the Kyubi, and she isn't an impostor.

_**But was Rin ever a container?**_

No but-

_**Then that isn't Rin, that isn't the girl you knew. The Rin you knew was innocent, was kind, she wasn't a sacrifice meant to contain a demon. **_

...And if the Rin I remember is the real one, then the Rin that is a Jinchuriki, the Rin that is different from what I remember, must be a... fake?

_**That is right.**_

If this Rin is fake, then that means it's an impostor? Nothing but a thing that looks like her...

_**Yes, just an empty vessel, just something that looks like Rin, speaks like HER, feels like HER, acts like HER, but is fundamentally not HER.**_

A fake, a fraud, an impostor, a fake, a hoax, an imitation, a copy, a fake, a forgery, a counterfeit, a reproduction, a fake, a sham, a pseudo, a feint, a phony, a fak-

"Obito?"

The curious voice throws me out of my thought, I turn to face the speaker.

"Zetsu, how many times must I tell you to call me Madara." The voice that spills from my lips is foreign to my own ears, the jutsu I use makes mine deeper, colder, makes it that of Madara and not of Obito. "Uchiha Obito is dead, all that is left is me, Madara's tool, his hope, his legacy."

Yes, I will bring about the world Uchiha Madara wants, a world of dreams, a world of winners, a world where I can be with the REAL Rin.

The cold voice in my head doesn't respond this time , and I take it as a sign that my doubt is gone, my path is clear now.

Zetsu tilts his head, obviously confused, the white half of him as innocent as ever. Making the black half contrast all the more, its eternally open eye always watching me, searching for weakness no doubt. Madara's Will my ass.

**"Why do you delay?" **The devil speaks. **"Just grab the Rinnegan user and get this over with, you are wasting precious time."**

"Enough." I say in a tone that leaves no argument. Since when did I manage to put so much authority into my voice? "There is no point in taking Nagato unwillingly, he must join us by his own will if our plan is to go smoothly."

I hear no response, no doubt Black Zetsu (As I've started to call him since "Madara's will" is too good a title for the nagging bitch) is reluctantly accepting my logic.

"Besides, despite your pessimism on the matter." I continue despite the lack of words from my companion(s). Strangely my "death" has somehow managed to increase my vocabulary. "I feel like we are not going to have to wait much longer to convince our friend..."

There, the man I am waiting for, black robe, spiky hair, bandaged right eye, and a crippled way of moving despite no real disabilities.

Danzo Shimura.

"It seems like all the actors have gathered on the stage. Come, let us see if they fulfill the roles the director has assigned them."

* * *

"Who's there!?" The man we are tailing shouts at us, for an old war hawk his senses are surprisingly sharp.

Danzo, Madara told me about him in great detail when he was teaching me all I needed to know in order to fulfill his dream (How he knew all of this when he was spending his time rotting in a cave, I can only guess). The successor of the second Hokage in all but status, carrying the same paranoia the second had in regards to the Uchiha; a fact that I intend to use to my advantage. ROOT is what he called the organization he led, a group dedicated to protecting the interests of Konoha from the shadows. I would have been impressed with his dedication if it wasn't for the fact the man has degraded so much from his original ideal.

Danzo was once a man who valued hard work against natural genius, who loved the entirety of Konoha and wished to become its leader to protect it. And now all that was left is a pathetic, bitter old man who seeks only to achieve his own selfish wants.

Just like me.

_**No you are different, you have purpose. Danzo acts for himself, you act for the sake of everyone.**_

The voice is back, and once again it calms my doubts. Is it my voice that speaks to me in my mind, or is it Madara's? I can no longer tell the difference.

I ignore the turmoil of my thoughts, and dispel the genjutsu that was concealing me. My appearance causing the old man to raise an eyebrow in what seemed to be interest if not surprise.

"And who might you be?" He asks, his finger subtly twitching, most likely itching to signal his ROOT guards to come and attack me. Like they would last long.

_**Good, you have confidence in your abilities, arrogance is your strength, hatred your shield. Let none touch you, let all fear you, let all tremble before Uchiha Madara once more.**_

"I'm surprised Danzo, did Tobirama not mention me in his bedtime stories to you?" I almost laugh at how much the name of his mentor surprises him. This will be easy. "The boy always seemed so fearful of me despite his obvious hatred, I must say I am a tad disappointing he did not paint me as a monster in the closet to keep you up at night."

Danzo obviously doesn't take my sarcastic tone kindly, but it is clear he understood the implications of my mocking statement judging by how his body instantly tensed.

"Madara." The man stated simply, the single name completely drenched with dread.

I simply state at him, the eye hole gaping black, I am suddenly caught with an urge to do something dramatic. And so I send a burst of chakra into my lone eye, the organ glowing red as my Sharingan is activated. The effect seemed to do the trick, as the man eased into a position that implied his doubts were confirmed.

_**As far as he knows there are no rogue Uchiha in the world, and our identity could only be that of one thought to be dead.**_

Just not the one he is thinking of.

"You're supposed to be dead." The War-hawk says bluntly.

"Reports of my death were grossly exaggerated, though I admit I am not nearly as strong as I was in my prime. However-" I gesture behind me with a tilt of my head, where two ROOT ninja suddenly collapse, dead, onto the ground in their futile attempt to strike me in the back. The poison thorns from Zetsu doing a fine job of making them seem to die spontaneously.

"I am more than enough to take on this infant's idea of a retinue you like to surround yourself with." I say smugly, no doubt my apparent killing of his men without even lifting a finger infuriating him. "Now then, how about we stop the posturing and move onto business. I am sure my proposal will be most... Fruitful for our mutual futures."

* * *

"Hello again Nagato, it appears you have seen the cruelty of this world first hand since we had last met, did I not say so?."

I could only stare at the man before, just the day before he was so hopeful, so kind looking, and now all that was left was a husk. I've never seen a man broken so quickly before, and, despite myself, a part of me felt a disgusting amount of amusement from it. What was I becoming?

The spiral eyes stare dully into me, the shriveled form of Nagato trapped in the odd crab like contraption shivered in what was likely agony. His mouth struggled for a moment, as though the formation of words no longer came naturally to him, it was clear merely the action of talking was becoming a burden to him.

"Yes, I see now." He says grimly, the signature red hair of the Uzumaki swaying softly as he glanced at me. The sight making my stomach turn as I push memories back into the depths of my mind. "The selfish desire to preserve peace causes war. Hatred is born from wanting to protect love. There's no such thing as peace in this accursed world."

"He looks into my eye, resolve that was not there before flaring in them.

"All that is left for us in this world, is pain."

Is this what I was looking for, is this what I desired? To have a person who understood the despair I felt as I lost that which was dear to me? I killed his friends, I did not stop Danzo's little plot before it could have come into being, I had as much of a role in his pain as Hanzo did. Did I have any right to stand here and pretend to be his ally, his friend in ideals?

_**It does not matter, we shall make it up to him, in the new world we create.**_

"I see." I say simply, ignoring the wary glance Black Zetsu sends my way. "Then allow me to say this, together I will make a world where you, Konan, and Yahiko can find fulfill your ideals once again. This I swear to you."

Nagato and Konan's eyes widen, no doubt my inclusion of their dead friend's name sparking some confusion in them.

**"What are you doing?!"** Black Zetsu's voice cries out telepathically in my mind.

_Silence yourself, fool, I told you to let me handle this._

"My plan, no our plan, the Moon's Eye, shall create a place where there will no longer be pain, no longer be despair for those who call it home." I look at them, no longer seeing them as pawns in my game, but as comrades for my dream. "In the world that I, Madara's Legacy will see to its creation, there will be peace."

"Madara's Legacy, huh?" Nagato says with a touch of amusement, apparently giving confirmation to his doubts about my proclamation of my identity when we first met. "And I don't suppose you have a name that goes along with the person behind the mask?"

"I would prefer that you continue referring to me as Madara, when the time comes I will show you my true face, however to complete Madara's dream, _**my **_dream, I must continue using the identity of the first missing-nin. The name that has been handed down to me by my ancestor." I say smoothly, surprising the Uzumaki, no doubt he assumed the man was long dead and I simply upheld his ideals, if only that were the case. "But that is for a future discussion, I believe we should be introducing the new "leader" of Akatsuki now?"

Nagato nods, and I step aside from the doorway with Zetsu following my lead, a figure slowly walking into view. The black cloak with Red Clouds imprinted upon its surface, slowly moving against the subtle blow of wind in the room. The spiky orange hair no longer giving the same shade as it did in life, the hitai-ate it wore had the symbol of the Ame, slashed across. Black chakra rods were embedded into the face, pieced into the ears and the nose, and most oddly of all, were the spiral eyes that stared out to the world, that matched Nagato's.

"You will always be the leader of Akatsuki, Yahiko." Nagato says with mirth. The sorrowful look in his eyes reminding me of my own. I step forward despite my desire to leave them in mourning for their friend.

"The first step is to retrieve more corpses, preferably ones of skilled ninja so that you can fully harness the powers of the Rinnegan." I explain, staring at the moving corpse of Yahiko.

Of the man I helped kill.

_**He will return, if we succeed the world he wished for will come to be for him and his friends as well.**_

"And the next?" Konan asks, unlike Nagato I have yet to have earned her trust, so the look she gives me is one of suspicion rather than genuine interest.

"The second step, is to use the powers of the six paths, along with Zetsu and I by your side, to take over Ame." I say, returning my gaze to Nagato and staring meaningfully into his eyes, with my lone Sharingan. "And to kill Hanzo."

For the first time since meeting the man I see him smile, a smile of pure glee, a smile that promised bloodshed, a smile that foreshadowed a beautiful partnership for the future.

The new Akatsuki has arisen from the ashes of the old, and its dawn shall burn the current system of this cruel world to cinder as we carve a red scar across this hopeless village. And it will not be the last, no, Ame will be the first of many; and soon the Crimson Moon will be seen by all.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So there's chapter two, sorry I didn't get to Kakashi's perspective on this one, but I feel like there are a huge amount of stories that already gives him justice far better than I could. Just so you guys know I already had this chapter written out before I even published the first one. The reason I waited a few days to post this chapter was because I was trying to find a good time for me to post without feeling rushed. So expect a new chapter every Thursday or so since it seems to be the best for my schedule. I am currently finishing up chapter three so my hope is that I'll have chapter four finished and edited, and halfway through chapter five by the time I post up three. Basically what I'm saying is that this is pretty much going to be my only regularly updated fic; the thing seems to write itself really.

I'd just like to take the time to thank my first five reviewers, The Last Hatake, The Ninja from Yesterday, Fier66, Prescripto13, and Axel Davis. I really appreciate the feedback guys, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.


	3. Day of the Nine-Tails

**Kakashi II: The Calm Before the Storm**

**~7~7~7~7~**

It had only been a few months since the incident with Rin. Not much has changed really, or at least outwardly that is. It's one thing to be the two surviving members of a team, it was a whole other thing having one with a demon shoved into them and the other having the transplanted eye of our dead teammate in an eye socket. It was very difficult to pretend things were normal between us, especially when we were busy trying to keep an S-class village secret to ourselves and at the same time trying not to drown ourselves in the self-pity we've been feeling with all that has happened this year.

At the very least Rin is capable of looking at me in the eyes now, or one eye to be specific. Using my hitai-ate to cover Obito's has done wonders with getting her to talk to me again; but it's still a work in progress since she still has demon issues to work out. Nowadays all she does is train, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that she is lying whenever she says it's the medic type. Callouses are an unusual sight on Rin's hands, and I doubt I'll ever truly get used to it.

Other than that there was one tiny change that occurred in the village. Minato-sensei is Hokage now, with the peace treaty with Iwa set in stone, pun not intended, the Third has finally decided to step down from his position and nominated sensei to take his place. While not really a surprise to any of us, it was still something to celebrate, though somewhat half-heartily since it was hard to ignore the absence we all knew was there but pretended otherwise.

Not to mention that even Minato-sensei wasn't all that into it, considering he basically earned the position by using 200 dead Iwa-nin as stepping stones. Killing dozens of people weighed heavily on my mind, but 200? I couldn't even imagine what sensei was going through after that, it needed to be done, but still, that was 200 people who would never see their loved ones ever again. I know I wouldn't be able to handle the guilt, especially after how much Obito's death has done to me.

But that's why sensei deserves to be Hokage, he could do all that and still move on with determination. With the mindset that he did what needed to be done and still have the will to make sure that never happens again. If anybody can deal with that kind of burden, it was Minato-sensei. Then again, he has Kushina-san by his side, so even if he couldn't deal with it she would probably make sure to set him straight.

That said however today was not a good day to be Hokage if the expression on Minato-sensei's face was anything to go by.

"Can you run that by me again Jiraiya-sensei?" Minato-sensei asked with an exasperated expression; his eyes pleading for better news. "Because, frankly, I don't think what you said the first time made any sense."

"Look Minato, saying it a second time won't magically make the words coming out of my mouth change to suit your little happy place, but I guess I'll just humor you for now." Jiraiya's voice oddly bitter, a far-cry from its usual jolly tone.

Minato-sensei and I shared a brief look, Jiraiya being serious wasn't that strange of an occurrence. But seeing him like this, just so weary at everything was making us uneasy. Whatever managed to unnerve a man like Jiraiya is not something that can be taken lightly.

"Like I said before, my sources in Ame say that Hanzo was just killed and his killer took his place as Ame's leader. But the guy didn't just kill Hanzo, he systematically wiped out anybody who even shook hands with the guy. Friends, family, subordinates, even ambassadors that were the tiniest bit friendly with him; all dead, each and every one of them. The civil war is as good as done now."

"Someone actually managed to kill Hanzo?" Minato-sensei asked, his gaze hardening as he went into what Rin had dubbed as "Hokage Mode", to be honest it was little different from what I called his "Combat Mode" but who knows what goes on in that girl's head anymore. "How? Not even you, Tsunade, and Orochimaru together could take that bastard out, not to mention he was paranoid like hell."

Jiraiya nodded his head, agreeing with Minato's assessment. I couldn't completely understand the standards they were talking about, but having seen Jiraiya in action once before he knew the man was no pushover despite his normal antics. Whoever managed to kill someone that not even Jiraiya could fight without help...

"What kind of monster was he?" I couldn't help but ask him.

"No idea kid, the guy literally popped out of nowhere and just started slaughtering everyone to get to Hanzo." Jiraiya shook his head. "Right now all my sources got are rumors, everyone who was actually there is dead. Most of it is nonsense, stuff about corpses fighting even after you killed them, to people saying they saw a ghost and plant monsters slaughtering the guards. There's even a bunch of people proclaiming the new leader a god or some other kind of bullshit."

"To be honest this kind of madness is expected, the region was never the most peaceful area to begin with, but having a coup this sudden is bound to make everyone go to ridiculous conclusions to try to rationalize it." Minato-sensei explained academically, the logic no doubt being sound considering its source.

"But every rumor always has a grain of truth in it." I say to the two, who nod their heads in begrudging agreement.

"I can't think of anything that can explain the ghost rumor, they were most likely civvies unused to seeing a ninja's speed or something." Jiraiya began. "But the corpse one sounds like it could be a technique of sorts, if not puppet techniques then it might be the Second Hokage's technique."

"The Second's?" I ask, the idea of one of our leader's using corpses as a weapon not sitting well in me.

"A forbidden technique, meant to be used as a last resort." Minato explained. "But from you say, it doesn't sound like Edo Tensei, and as far as I know the technique has never left Konoha so that is out of the picture."

"I agree, plus last I checked the only person who actually understood how to use the damn thing was the creator, and the jutsu practically died with him. The only thing he left behind were a few notes detailing the jutsu and some theories, but that was about it." Jiraiya said with a touch of irritation in his voice. "As for the alleged plant creature, I guess that can be explained more easily but-"

"The only person capable of Mokuton jutsu was the First, and he is long dead." Minato-sensei finished for him. "So unless someone decided to clone the man I doubt that was the case."

We collectively sigh at that, the whole mess was too much to deal with at once for us.

"I don't like this." Minato says grimly. "It's just like the incident with the Kiri-nin, too many unknowns, at this point I wouldn't even be surprised if the two were connected somehow."

"Whatever the case is, we have no choice but to wait for things to blow over for now. I'll have to tell my spies to go underground for now." Jiraiya says with a sigh. "While it would be nice to be informed of the shitstorm as it's going on, I can't risk them getting executed if the new leader happens to be the tyrant type."

"The guy sounds nice from what you've told us." I say sarcastically the mood in the room growing dark as silence began to set in.

"…"

"…"

This is awkward.

"Well enough of that depressing stuff!" Jiraiya shouts out, though I wouldn't admit it, I am happy the man can't stand silence for long. It was nice having the fool lighten the mood every now and then.

If only I appreciated that fact more when Obito was still here.

"So I heard through the grapevine that there's been some good news, care to share you lucky bastard?" Jiraiya says with a somewhat perverted grin.

I raise my eyebrow at sensei, a gesture he takes as a sign to start explaining.

"I have to stop getting surprised by you Jiraiya-sensei." Minato-sensei says with a laugh, his usual happy self-back for the moment. "Well Kushina and I have been at the hospital, and from what we know so far-"

My eyes widen slightly as I realize what he's about to say, the joy emanating from him is almost palpable.

"In late September, or early October at the latest, I am going to be a father."

* * *

**Pain I: Becoming the God of the Rain**

**~6~6~6~6~**

It was done, the rain washed over me as the blood trickled off of my skin. Or was it Yahiko's skin? It was hard to tell the difference, with my consciousness spread across the six corpses, the standard idea of senses become a bit skewed. It was an odd sensation, on one hand I had never had more freedom than I ever had before. The Six Paths of Pain, the name I had given the strange powers the Rinnegan granted me, expanded my view of the world and my natural powers in ways I could have never imagined. But on the other hand, my true body was trapped, forever immobile in the machine I am forced to remain in. The injuries I obtained from my encounter with Hanzo incapable of being completely healed.

But that didn't matter, revenge was mine, and despite my dislike of the cycle of hatred, killing Hanzo managed to plug the gaping hole that was in my heart that would not stop bleeding since Yahiko's death. Or at the very least eased the feeling of despair that came from it. Besides, I killed everyone who cared about the man, so the cycle of hatred won't continue if there isn't anybody to try and take revenge for him. Problem solved in a way.

It had taken a few months to get to this point, but it was worth it. While we could have done this some time ago, I was somewhat picky with those who would eventually become the other five paths. As annoyed as "Madara" was with my selection, I refused to simply pick random ninja to become my weapons against this world. Every one of the corpses I used now, with the exception of Yahiko of course, had some sort of encounter with Jiraiya-sensei in a way. They had to, in order to symbolize my disposal of his naive ideals, to symbolize that I would bring peace to the world with pain.

Speaking of Madara, the man was still an oddity to me, at times he seemed completely dedicated to our cause, almost fanatical in a way. But then there were time where it almost seemed like he was fighting with himself, unsure of what he was doing. Then there was his plan, the "Moon's Eye" he called it.

It was completely insane, putting everyone under a massive genjutsu to bring about peace sounded like the ravings of a madman. But...

I look out the at the city in front of me, buildings blazing despite the heavy rain and scores of people who did not have to die litter the ground, grim reminders of a cruel regime that had only just ended.

The current world is too cruel, too full of madness already that it might take the ideas of a madman in order to change it. To be honest the idea wasn't completely without value to me, despite the inherent insanity of it. From what Madara said, it is clear he truly wants everyone to be happy, and a world of dreams where the ridiculous way of living for ninja no longer existed was an appealing one.

I continue looking out at the scene before me, not turning around despite noticing the chakra signature of the man who appears behind me. Madara never told me how his powers work, it appeared he himself wasn't quite sure yet, the man most likely hadn't had the opportunity to test them in a controlled environment since all we have been doing so far is fighting.

That seemed to be another sad part of this reality, no matter how much we desire peace, all we get in return is endless bloodshed.

"I have cleared out the building, the rest of Hanzo's supporters are dead." He says with a matter of fact tone. I believe he uses some kind of genjutsu to change his voice, the guttural tone always seemingly conflicting with his appearance in a way I couldn't quite describe. "Here, a present for you."

I turn to him, and I barely manage to control a flinch with Yahiko's eye as he tosses the head of one of Hanzo's lieutenants at me. The head rolling towards me until stopping dead at my feet, the eyes wide open and accusing.

As much as I value his abilities in a fight, and his worth as a comrade in this mad endeavor of ours, I still cannot get used to his brutality during combat. While he doesn't needlessly extend the suffering of his foes, the way he goes about killing is simply horrifying. Torn limbs being used as weapons, heads being crushed with an unnatural ease, people being used as makeshift shields for the thrown weapons of their friends. It was violent beyond measure and the most horrifying thing was that it worked. Enemies we were worried about handling would flea in terror, barely tossing a kunai before Madara's brutal way of fighting causing their instincts for self-preservation to kick in.

While ninja were fully prepared to die, they all wanted to die as humans, not like lambs in a slaughter.

Ignoring his method of killing, the man's appearance had changed a lot since we first met. Instead of the odd white spiral suit he had, one that actually appeared to have merged with his very skin, he now wore a simple mask and a scarf. His spiky black hair confirming the fact that he was one of Uchiha heritage (Not like his Sharingan wasn't enough evidence), and the mask he wore now having an odd black wave pattern painted onto it; somewhat resembling the scars I see around his eye when he activates his sharingan.

Konan lands then, her paper wings wet as she molds them back into her, little has changed about her, though her demeanor is somewhat cold more often than not. Especially when in the presence of Madara.

"The spies from the other nations have been taken care of as well, none have survived the purge." She says without a hint of remorse, the blood stains on her cloak showing that she took care of the deed personally. To think that only a few months ago this girl was one of the least willing to take a life.

The smile I wear now with my real face is one without warmth, a purge, a good way of describing the small massacre we have started.

"Have you heard Nagato?" Madara asks as he walked towards the Tenzo path. "They are beginning to call you a god now that you have killed the seemingly unkillable Hanzo. Not an unfitting title in my opinion, it does your eyes justice."

"They can call me whatever they want." I say bluntly through Yahiko's corpse. "All that matters is that they acknowledge that I am their ruler."

Madara nods at that, the conquest of Ame being the first step in this grand plan of his, so of course he would approve of my little display of authority.

"Well said Pain-sama." Madara says without a hint of his usual mocking tone. A fact I am somewhat surprised by, I had assumed the name would have been a convenient source of dark humor on his part; he must have found it suitable in his own twisted way. "I suppose we should get started with the next step in the plan."

"And that is?" Konan begins to ask, despite working together for the past few months her distrust of Madara lessened very little despite my assurances of his loyalty. It was hard for her to accept his presence in Yahiko's stead. "Is taking over an entire village not enough for your scheme?"

"We recruit more members, we need ten in total at the very least in order to have enough forces to capture the Biju." Madara says, ignoring Konan's not at all subtle accusation.

"Just ten?" I ask somewhat curiously. "The Biju are known for wiping out entire armies, how do we intend to capture them with a mere ten ninja?"

"Not just any ninja, we will only recruit S-Class missing-nin. Only the best of the best, or should I say the best of the scum, will be wearing our colors." Madara explains, is voice laced with an odd hint of irony, as if he were mocking himself and enjoying it. "Besides we will be attacking their containers rather than the demons themselves, the Jinchuuriki are not even close to as dangerous as a Biju in the flesh."

"I see, and I assume you already have some candidates in mind?" I ask, Madara is the type to plan five steps ahead of you even when you plan two; he was the chess master type of man. His nod giving me confirmation on the fact.

"A few, a ninja by the name of Kakuza who hails from Taki, and the puppet user Sasori from Suna, these two shall be the first of many to join our ranks."

"Kakuza?" Konan questions. "I thought he was a myth, the idea that a human could live this long while maintaining his strength is ridiculous."

Madara responds with a dry chuckle, no doubt laughing at a joke only he understood.

"If Uchiha Madara of all people is capable of doing so, then I have no doubt that a man like Kakuza stands a good chance of living this long as well." I could almost feel the bitter smirk underneath the mask. "After-all, life seems appears as though it loves to curse people like us with its presence."

"It might be difficult, but I am sure we will be able to locate him now that we have the resources of Ame under our control." I declare, ignoring the veiled insult he made towards himself. There was some sort of story there, but I doubt he would tell us. "Sasori of the Red Sands will also be no issue, and if they refuse to join we will convince them with force if need be."

"Good." Is all he says as he turns around, the air begins to distort as he activates the odd jutsu that allows him to teleport. "The lands of sand and the waterfall are somewhat far from here, so I suggest you prepare well for the journey."

"Where are you going now?" I ask, somewhat curious as to what our mysterious leader is up to, and somewhat bitter that he does not use whatever dimensional technique he has to transport us there himself.

"I am going to Konoha." He replies with an oddly melancholic tone. "And I am going to use the Kyuubi to kill everyone who calls the Hidden Leaf home."

* * *

**Minato I: Not Fast Enough**

**~5~5~5~5~**

It was time, finally time for Naruto, my son, to be born. I was going to be a father, no matter how many times I repeated it in my head I still couldn't believe it. I was going to be a father of a beautiful baby boy.

The day came later than we thought it would, October 10th was a day that pushed the boundaries of the hospitals expectations; but from what I've heard so far there are no complications for the pregnancy. The whole thing was going perfectly from a purely biological standpoint, but that didn't take into account the Kyuubi...

The seal, it was pretty much perfect in the eyes of a seal master like myself and Kushina, the only flaw was that it weakened immensely when the host gives birth. An occurrence that was greatly feared but never became an issue with the previous hosts, Uzumaki vitality at its finest I suppose.

But still, all it would take is one mistake, one small leak and the nine-tailed fox would be unleashed onto Konoha. It was too much of a risk in many people's eyes, but it was a risk we were willing to take if it meant having a new addition to our family. Kushina lost everything when Uzu was destroyed, her family were all dead, so the least I could do was give her a new one in their place to help fill the void.

"Quit fumbling around Minato, you're embarrassing yourself." A sharp voice interrupts my thoughts, the owner being the Third's wife Biwako. "Try going into that dull mindset you have when you're in your office, it will probably be less humiliating than how you usually are."

"Thanks for the advice Biwako-sama, but I think I'm fine with the way I am right now." I smile back, the older woman huffing in mock indignation. The Third's wife was a woman who loved irony, so her acting like an irritating elder was her strange way of telling a joke.

"Hokage these days, back in my time they were less brats and more respectable leaders." She mused as she continued working with Kushina on the birth. "Oh how far we've fallen."

"Sounds like a personal problem to me." I chirp at the woman, internally grateful that she managed to alleviate some of my worries.

Yes, the birth will go fine, it was Kushina after-all, and unless Uchiha Madara suddenly decided to come back from the dead solely for the sake of ruining this moment. I doubt anything will go wrong tonight.

* * *

"Fourth Hokage... Minato. Back away from the Jinchuuriki or your son dies at the ripe old age of one minute." The masked man threatens me as he holds a kunai over Naruto.

... I really need to learn to shut my mouth when tempting fate. It never seems to go my way.

Biwako and Taji were dead, slain in an instant, I barely saw their deaths with how quickly the man dealt with them. The Anbu outside were most likely dead as well, so calling for help would do little more than irritate the masked bastard. He even broke through the barrier undetected, one the most closely guarded secrets of the village, and he bypasses it with no one knowing any wiser. Who the hell is this? The only possibility I can think of is-

"Please don't tell me you're Uchiha Madara back from the dead." I ask with a touch of hope, which instantly disappears as the masks man shows a small gesture of surprise.

"As expected of the Fourth, an excellent and accurate guess." He nods his head with approval. "Though the case is that my battle with Harashima never sent me to the grave to begin with; so a nine out of ten for your deduction then."

Yep, I've confirmed it, the world loved screwing with me. Did I kick puppies for a living in my past life or something? Because for kami's sake I can't think of anything I've done to deserve any of this.

Maybe reading the drafts of Jiraiya-sensei's new novel series is what made my Karma sink to hell, it felt sinful enough at the time so I wouldn't doubt that was the case.

*Blurp*

The sound knocks me out of my musing as I look towards Kushina, the black circle in the middle of the seal bulging as the demonic chakra begins to leak out.

The Kyuubi was trying to break free.

"Kushina!" I cry out as a shout of pain escapes from her lips. I attempt to move towards her but the burst of killing intent aimed at me stops my movement.

"As I said before Kage of the Hidden Leaf, back away from the container, or I will tear out your son's throat."

"You didn't say that before." I point out jokingly, trying to hide the fact that my mind was whirling with ways to try and get an advantage in the situation. Not to mention his threat about my son made it hard for me to hold back from driving a kunai through his eye socket,

"Semantics." He says dryly, not taking the bait.

Dammit, usually maniacs like him jump at the chance to go into a self-indulgent monologue. Just my luck that I have one of the competent ones trying to destroy my life. Wonderful.

He draws the kunai closer to Naruto's throat.

"Hold it!" I shout out in a panic. "Just calm down and we can talk things out."

Step one of trying to reason with a psychopath, calm their nerves before they do something dangerous.

"You should take your own advice Minato." He says disturbingly calmly as he tosses Naruto, MY SON, into the air, pointing his kunai upwards. "I'm perfectly calm."

Right, step one in reasoning with a psychopath always fails if it turns out they are also a sociopath.

"Naruto!" Kushina screams, the shout is used as my cue to get moving. I move swiftly, faster than I've ever felt myself go naturally in all my life. Using the body flicker jutsu instinctively to catch Naruto before he fell into the kunai, and move onto a position on the wall. Safe.

"I see the title "Yellow Flash" is a fitting one." The monster compliment me without even turning around. "But what now?"

I don't even have time to give a smart-ass comeback, the small hissing sound bringing my attention to the array of exploding tags spread across Naruto's blanket.

I grab the blanket, using my Hiraishin instinctively, while I toss the tag ridden cloth aside. I jump out, not even sure if I teleported yet, clutching Naruto to my chest.

The small emergency shack I teleported to explodes, shards of wood disperse onto the area around me as I tumble onto the ground, rolling as the force of explosion impacts me.

I barely manage to control my roll, the blast forcing me to move awkwardly in an attempt to compensate for young baby in my arms.

He was safe though, no injuries. It was incredibly lucky that he managed to get out without a scratch, maybe all my good luck was given to my son instead of me?

I teleport us to another safe house, leaving Naruto wrapped up in a blanket, the bed barely suitable for him.

"Wait here Naruto, I have to go save your mom now." I turn readying my Hiraishin once more. "Before it's too late."

* * *

They call me the fastest man alive, but why today of all days do I have to fail to live up to that name...

I barely managed to save Kushina from having the Kyuubi impale her with a nail, leaving quickly to bring her to Naruto despite my better judgment and now this is the consequence of my decision.

The Kyuubi is wreaking havoc in Konoha, no doubt the masked man used a summoning jutsu to bring him into the middle of the village, the sudden appearance leaving everyone vulnerable. The Third was probably already mobilizing the forces, he always had good instincts when it came to these sort of events.

And the Kyuubi has just looked at my direction, glaring at the poorly carved monument of my head. For some reason, I think I can feel Madara's stare on me as well, but it feels different, not killing intent but… remorse? That can't be right he just-

Oh, the Kyuubi is suddenly gathering a large amount of chakra into its mouth, forming the very attack I based my Rasengan on. That does not bode well for the village if it manages to detonate here.

Too bad for them that isn't going to happen so long as I am still breathing.

I make the hand signs just as the Kyuubi blasts the black orbs towards me, I hold out my kunai forward horizontally, the chakra within me flaring as I activate the jutsu.

The space in front of me warps, sucking in the destructive entity into the pseudo-dimensional barrier I created. The orb disappears, and I hear the massive explosion that detonates in the barren valley I teleported it to, the blast resonating in my ear as a gust of wind pushes against me.

I can't let this continue, even I won't be able to handle the Kyuubi if it starts shooting those things repeatedly. I have to warn the Third before-

My instincts move me before I am aware of it, my tri-pronged kunai plunging towards my left towards my assailant and… through him.

What the hell?

His hand clutches my wrist with an inhuman amount of strength as my hand somehow passes through his head. I can almost feel my bones crumble under the absurd amount of force he is exerting.

"You will face **ME**." He says as the air around his eye begins to distort into a spiral.

A dimensional technique, whatever he is doing is absorbing me into a different reality, this is bad if that happens Hiraishin will be useless I have to get out. Now.

"Aaaand…" He says smugly. "We're done."

Says you asshole.

I don't bother thinking about a destination, I just reach for the closest one I can feel and teleport myself there.

I land in one of the various outposts I have within the village. This isn't good, this one is in a remote area compared to the rest, looks like backup won't be an option.

_*Whirr*_

"What the-"

That distortion again, there's no doubt about it. He is using some sort of space-time jutsu to teleport here. But by the looks of it he doesn't need any medium for the transportation, does that mean it is superior to Hiraishin in a way?

"You won't escape me."

Is it his Sharingan that gives him that ability? But that isn't right, nowhere in the records does it say that Madara had the ability to manipulate dimensions…

"Just who are you?" I ask the mask man, the monster in question removing his hood and tilting his head mockingly as if the words amused him in some way.

"Did you not say it yourself?" The man says as he stares up at the sky for some reason, I take a small risk and glance at where his gaze is directed towards. The moon. "I am Madara."

"Bullshit." I say bluntly, taking out another of my signature kunai.

"Think what you will Fourth Hokage, whether or not you believe me to be Madara or not matters little." He pauses for a moment, the voice is foreign to me, but the nagging feeling in my head that is telling me I recognize it won't stop. "For I am going to be the end of you regardless."

Great, not only is he a sociopath but he seems confident that he can take down a Kage by himself. Either he is extremely stupid… or he has the skills to back it up.

_*&amp;($% #&amp;^* %&amp;^( &amp;%!*_

An incoherent roar, no doubt from the Kyuubi, rings through the air.

Shit, he has the skills to back it up.

"You know what? I don't care who you are." I say as a string of chains drop from his sleeves. The masked man slowly clasping them to his wrists, an odd weapon but considering his ability to phase through my attacks...

I have to kill him now, a person like this is far too dangerous to let roam the ninja world.

"Why are you attacking the leaf?" I ask in an attempt to at least learn some of his goals before I end him. This guy might not be the only lunatic involved in this for all I know.

"Oh you know… It's fun, it's a part of my plans." He says in such a way I can't tell if he is joking or dead serious. "To start a war… To bring peace."

That does it, I need to finish this before he brings more chaos to the world. The Third will have to handle the Kyuubi for now.

"There's no hope for any of you!" He shouts as he rushes towards to suddenly.

I began to charge as well I need to test the extent of his powers before I can defeat him, no doubt he will try to trap me with the chains judging by how he is using them. Now all I need to do is-

"Suiton: Suidanha!"

I stop at the familiar voice, leaping backwards as a concentrated stream of water appears out of nowhere. Madara himself seems surprised, barely managing to dodge the sudden attack, the pressurized jet of water slicing the chain he wield in half.

I blink in confusion, before turning to the source of the jutsu, barely able to comprehend the fact myself.

"Rin?"

"Minato-sensei are you okay!?" She shouts as she moves towards my side, readying herself into a stance. Since when did she become so fast, scratch that, since when did she know any combat stances to begin with.

"I'm fine, at least as fine as I can be in these circumstances." I answer, readying myself as Madara recovers from his initial surprise. But something seems off about him, he seems almost stiff, and I could tell that he was unnaturally focused on Rin, though it didn't seem like the girl herself noticed it.

"Are you sure?" She asks me with a hint of skepticism in her voice. "I heard the man you're fighting is dangerous, especially considering he is controlling the Kyuubi."

I can't help but raise my eyebrow at that. How in the world did she…

Please don't tell me.

"And who might have told you this Rin?" I ask even though I already knew the answer, at the very least the girl managed to seem somewhat embarrassed about it."

"The Sanbi?" She says meekly. I swear if I don't die tonight one of my students is going to be the death of me one of these days.

"We're going to talk about this after we finish this Rin." I say sternly. "I assume the Sanbi is the one that told you where we were, and the one that's been teaching you combat jutsu?"

She nods her head in confirmation, I still can't believe it, the demon was actually willingly helping her fight? This doesn't sit well with me, what kind of ulterior motive does it have that it would need Rin of all people to know how to fight…

"He told me that you and the invader teleported here, and that he was the one controlling the Kyuubi." She pausing for a moment, as if unsure of herself. "Minato-sensei, I think the Sanbi is familiar with the man, but he won't tell me who it is."

Classic tailed-beast right there, all too happy to give cryptic bits of information, but it'll be a cold in hell when they will help you try to understand it.

"Well from what that man says, he is apparently Uchiha Madara back to have revenge on the village." I state calmly as I see our opponent start to position himself in a fighting stance as well, the chains hanging off both his wrists loosely. "And if the Sanbi has met him it does give some credit to that theory."

"Madara?" She takes a glance at our enemy, and I swear I can see him stiffen. "This isn't going to be an easy fight is it?"

I grasp my kunai tightly, ready to throw it at any moment.

"No, no, it won't be."

* * *

I jump into the air and Rin leaps to the side, the chains carving a scar into the earth as Madara swings them. I throw my kunai downwards as I begin to descend, making Madara bring his arms upwards using the chains to deflect them as if they were mere sticks, the weapons impaling into the ground near him. I use my Hiraishin, teleporting myself to the one that was buried behind him, calling up a Rasengan into my hand and driving it into his back.

As expected it goes right through him.

"Useless." He says, and the chain weapon is swung once more towards me and I instantly dodge, letting my Rasengan disappear. The ground literally cracks open with the force of the chains impacting it. And the Madara pulls them back with an insane amount of speed, flinging it forwards as if it were a spear. I tilt my head, and the chains shoots past my head, tearing through strands of my hair as it drives itself into the tree behind me.

Got you.

I don't even need to look as Rin makes the hand signs for her jutsu, the bullets of water shooting towards our target as he is stuck in position. Even if the attacks go through him, they will still force him to maintain his position.

This is the only way to fight such an opponent, we have to constantly attack in order to overwhelm him, it seems like he can't attack us when he is phasing through our techniques, so if we manage to trap him in one spot…

"Did I not tell you it was useless?" His voice cuts through my thoughts and my eyes widen in response.

"Rin dodge!" I yell out as I move backwards as well. I can tell she doesn't understand but she stops her assault anyways and barely moves out of the way of the chain that decimates the ground she was occupying.

But how? Super strength or not, that was a Harashima tree it was stuck in and yet-

My eyes narrow as I look at the burning red aura around the chains, the flames flickering around the edges; the air hazy as the sheer heat of the fire distorts it. I glance towards the tree, fresh embers consuming the bark as it begins to topple down due to the large gap burned through it.

Fire enhancement, and done to such a level that it would likely burn right through us, water jutsu or not.

He has the advantage now, those flames have made our previous strategy worthless .While we could try to overwhelm him again and make it so he can't attack us directly, he could still drive those chains towards us and let the flames take care of the rest.

If we aren't careful in luring his attacks, he could set the entire village ablaze, all he cares about is killing us, even if he burns the entire world around us to cinders.

That leaves only one option.

I nod at Rin despite my worries on her combat competence, the situation was too desperate right now to deny her aid.

She runs towards him, nimbly moving between the flaming chains as he whirls them around, leaving charred grooves across the earth.

Rin is up close to him, her hands forming a pair of chakra scalpels, lunging towards him.

The chains were very effective at long range, almost unfairly so, but at this close of a range he can't attack her efficiently.

But Rin isn't fast enough, I can already see that he is preparing his space-time technique to absorb her, his hand reaching to grab her head with his superior reach.

But that's exactly what I was hoping for.

I throw my kunai with all my strength, the weapon soaring into air and above the masked madman. I teleport, bring forth my Rasengan in my hand once more, and pushing down with all my might. It hits, the man's body bends from the impact as my Rasengan drives itself onto his spine.

"Checkmate." I say smugly, as Rin leaps backwards to avoid the force of the blow, the ground bursting apart as the orb of chakra detonates. I make sure to imprint the mark onto his body, before he distances himself from me, his arm falling off and dissolving into some strange liquid.

I ignore this though it brought up my curiosity, and I teleport again despite my fatigue, slamming my palm against him as I bring up a contract seal.

"With this the Kyuubi is no longer under your control." I mutter as activate the seal. He disappears again, only to reappear on a nearby tree. Rin rushes to my side again, and I can't help but notice the red glow that emanates from her eye; no doubt the Sanbi was providing Chakra to her.

"Once again, you show me why you deserve the title of Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze. And impressive achievement removing my control of the fox and managing to wound me. But someday the Kyuubi will be mine again." He pauses and looks towards Rin, the lone Sharingan staring with an uncontained burst of killing intent. "And so will you, Isobu."

Rin shivers at the horrid intent, and I reflexively move myself between them, though I know the gesture is meaningless.

"The beast will be mine, and so will the whole world soon enough." The air moves in a spiral once more, and Madara's body is slowly sucked into it. "Until next time."

"He wasn't lying." I say with contempt, of course someone like Madara would be insane enough to try to conqueror the world. "At least he is gone for now."

"But sensei, now we have to-" Rin begins to speak up, he exhaustion clearly catching up with her. The Sanbi teaching her or not, it was clear this was her first will experience in a high level fight, and it sure as hell wasn't easy for her.

"I know, I have to take care of the Kyuubi now." I interrupt her, my tone grim. Being out of Madara's control meant little, the Kyuubi still had a great deal of resentment for humanity and it was unlikely to stop its destructive actions.

"You mean WE have to take care of the Kyuubi." She says with a glare, looks like the Sanbi is giving her a confidence boost, or was it Obito that did?

All I do is sigh in response, and we head towards ground zero, where the Third is likely fighting the fox as we speak.

I swear my students will be the death of me.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry if you guys were hoping for some Kakashi action, but don't worry he'll have his time to shine in later chapters. And as expected of Minato, managing to steal the largest section of this story so far. As for the developments with Rin, well those will be explained, but you have to remember that a lot of stuff happens outside of character's viewpoints in a First-person story, so be prepared for some unexpected occurrences to happen.

By the way, I'm sure you guys have noticed the little number thing I do below each character's names when their sections starts. While the symbolizing for some is really obvious, Kakashi's and Rin's being the easiest to figure out, I wonder if anybody can figure out why I chose the number 5 to represent Minato?

Once again I thank all the people who are following this story, and I appreciate the reviews that you guys feel like writing, and I hope to see you all next week.

Auf Wiedersehen!


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